Ultimate man cave setup for learning, what would you do?

[happyinsonoma]

So I have taken a pretty serious interest in the idea of starting up a brewery with a friend. I have the money to invest and I am looking for the experience to feel comfortable without working at a brewery since I have a full time job at the moment and can do this part time when its convenient to me to do it. Probably late at night. I'm trying to learn in a progressive and quick way by trying to go to the seibel institute online courses and then concurrently start to brew. I've got some books and have already started and here is where I'm at:

I've got a Sabco Brew Magic - http://www.brew-magic.com/bmindex.html
http://www.brew-magic.com/bm_howitworks.html

I've got a detatched garage to store things in, its got power for expansion of any necessary items.

I've got 2 fermenter sanke kegs. I've got 40 gallons of corny kegs. I'd love to have 'em full...

Here's the dilemma, once I brew it what should I get to ferment (temperature control) and store them afterwards. If you were to have the idea of looking long term what would you build? Thanks guys, I know this sounds ambitious, and it is but I'm not kidding, I'm 100% serious.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

my recommendation would be to become a good brewer before you decide to spend a bunch of money trying to go pro. Start small, learn to homebrew great beer, then think about starting a business. Nothing personal, but If you are asking for recommendations on fermentation temp control, you simply aren't ready to be doing this as a pro.

 

[lschiavo]

I would do a walk in cooler with several climate zones and all pump transfers.

 

[MalFet]

Maybe a fridge?

 

[happyinsonoma]

I have a frig, and to be clear I have a strong engineering background, so yeah... I know what a ranco temp controller is and that it is set for 1 degree of variation, etc... I'm not simple... Yes I have a fridge... not it won't hold more than 10 gallons, which is my dilemma. Basically I have parties, etc. The beer finding homes during the summer is a joke, and brewing through practice seemed like a reasonable gig, especially since i have an air stone setup to oxygenate the beer before fermentation and pitching yeast, and a chill wizard to drop temps, a nice brew setup to computer control my rims system so my mash tun needs for attention are almost zero and electronically controlled via a computer relaying on and off an electric heater to half a degree.

So... that being said, I have a fair idea of what to do. I've done it, I'm not retarded and have a bad tendency to start hobbies with two feet foward and learn on the fly and it keeps me entertained... which makes me happy. I don't care about the money to a reasonable degree.

The walk in fridge was actually what I was hoping someone would say. I have been looking at different size storage ideas and that seems to me the only sensible option. A fridge that holds 10 gallons is 150-350. I almost bought a walk in fridge for 2500 with a freezer and seperate cooling system that was 12x12 total for both units. 8x12, 4x12. That means I could put shelves in there and have like 100 frigs worth of space.

I guess I'm looking for pro ideas scaled down. That may be my real question, how do the pro's keep their beer stored at precise temps when they have say a 7bbl system for a microbrewery?

 

[happyinsonoma]

I hate to be a jerk while simultaneously asking for help but wtf... How are you going to brew up 10 gallons or even 40 gallons and put them in a fridge... why even waste space in a thread with a comment like that? I'm a really nice guy but I am asking in sincerity, please help, don't put up useless posts. Just chuckle to yourself.

I have a 15 gallon system to make 10 gallon batches, a fridge for those who make more than a spaghetti sized batch realize this isn't going to work. Even with a freezer that is upwards of 25 cu.ft. that won't really work long term. I got stuck trying to make wedding deadline because I realized even if I were to buy another few items to store it in used it would start to add up to the point where a walk in fridge was a legitimate idea. I have lots of parties and it would be cool to start this up and promote it and find potential interested parties for sale and for investment in the future to give me a litmus test of what I think about it. So... anyone have any help please give me a description in great detail, I'd love it!

PS before anyone starts giving me **** over the sales part... I mean future licensed sales... for all you wise guys lawyers types, lol...

 

[happyinsonoma]

Isch... thanks bro... Its where I'm thinking right now.

 

[lschiavo]

I am not sure at what size it needs to be done but I know big systems use jacketed cooling vessels. I saw a 55 gallon system recently, a house converted to brewpub. He just had a few conicals and serving tanks in the basement. I think he ran through a jockey to the taps. Not ideal but he was just getting started and making good beer.

There are lots of ways to go. I would love a walk in cooler. Check out coolfree units if your climate allows. The only thing I would be afraid of is the electric bill with a walk in.

 

[MalFet]

Easy there, slugger. It wasn't a sarcastic comment. I've got 40 gallons in a fridge right now. Have fun with your brewery.

 

[noggins]

Is this homebrewtalk or homebusiness talk? Yer harshin my buzz!!

 

[millaj92]

Large scale commercial breweries use climate-controlled warehouses. All smaller scale breweries use a (daul layer) jacketed (conical) fermenter that utilizes glycol for chilling so that the area they are stored in can remain at (a constantly fluctuating ) "ambient" temp. If you're looking for a super-nano way to create this in your home, dedicate a room to be a "fermentation chamber" full of fermenters with well-insulated walls and ceiling and utilize a "window unit" air conditioner with a built-in thermostat. Lots of parentheses and quotations but you kinda asked for it.

 

[Dunerunner]

I too would build a cold room, but remember to drive the chiller, a/c unit or what ever; as a function of fermenter temperature, not room temperature. Depending on what you are brewing, you may want to also have a heat source available and perhaps a fan for air circulation.

You may also want to think about bottling after you have force carbonated. This frees up keg space and allows you to store your brew in a convenient easy open container.

 

[6fiddyv]

Well, no advice but I live in Cotati, I want to become your drinking buddy... hahaha

6

 

[happyinsonoma]

Cool, good ideas, see we're warming up! I just needed some brainfood, once I get some ideas to work with I'd figure out the best options for my situation.

Bring it on for the drinking buddies, haha... Like I said, I wanna get better with the system and I feel I'd get better first hand, have some people with larger systems walk me through it, and then I'd understand probably after one run how the system operates and changes I'd like to make with things I don't like or find too much labor involved with that could be improved.

One thing I first saw with the brew magic was the lack of moving kettles... that was a deal maker right there!!! I was just imagining dropping one of those things and hot water scalding me and how pissed off I'd be, haha... that's what would harsh my mellow!

The second was the fact that it kept the temperature of mash really close and consistent. That is where I'm trying to head, get things going correctly so I'm not learning in reverse. I want to learn and do things correctly so I see where changes happen between beers, not between mistakes that I can't figure out the technical differences because of variations.

I'm thinking a small walk in combo fridge would be the ticket.

Anyways, I'm going to hit the books, in the meantime if anyone has a brewery in the area and wants to give a guy a tour, I'd love it!!!

 

[bknifefight]

useless post

 

[JPicasso]

If I had money to burn and was looking to expand a 10 gallon brew stand and 8 cornies, I'd get a pair of chest freezers and some Ranco's. Buy some additional cornies. Make sure your freezers can hold 6 or so cornies and then get to brewing.

Turn one of the freezers into a Keezer, or serving freezer have temps at 50°F or so, and the other as a fermentation/conditioning box set to low 60's.
I do not see the point of a large temperature controlled walkin at your residence since you'll more than likely have to open a brewpub in a commercial zone anyways.

If tha's not enough capacity, or you start lagering, get another freezer and go from there.

I think you have to ask yourself is how much beer will you actually have kegged at one time. I dream of 50 kegs full in my basement too, but it's unlikey I will actually ever have more than 3. Sounds like you'll have more, but how much more?

Also, to justify a $2500 walk-in, I'd want to be brewing more gallons at a time.

Good luck and happy brewing.

 

[ryandlf]

You need a license to sell beer, first and foremost. And next, you need a much bigger system than 15 gallons at a time to wet 100's of people's whistles per week (if not more). My suggestion if your serious about going pro would be to go work for a brewers for a while and understand how it all works then save the $ to do it the right way. I'm not trying to discourage, just be realistic..the more breweries the better IMO.

 

[cfrazier77]

A couple of questions.

How many gallons of the same kind of beer are you wanting to store? Do you want to store 15 gallons of IPA, for example, or 50? If you are looking at fewer kinds of beers with bigger quantities you may want to look at brite tanks.

When you are legal to sell in what way do you want to package your beer? Cornies, Sankes, Bottles?

 

[ayoungrad]

If I had money to burn and was looking to expand a 10 gallon brew stand and 8 cornies, I'd get a pair of chest freezers and some Ranco's. Buy some additional cornies. Make sure your freezers can hold 6 or so cornies and then get to brewing.

Turn one of the freezers into a Keezer, or serving freezer have temps at 50°F or so, and the other as a fermentation/conditioning box set to low 60's.
I do not see the point of a large temperature controlled walkin at your residence since you'll more than likely have to open a brewpub in a commercial zone anyways.

If tha's not enough capacity, or you start lagering, get another freezer and go from there.

I think you have to ask yourself is how much beer will you actually have kegged at one time. I dream of 50 kegs full in my basement too, but it's unlikey I will actually ever have more than 3. Sounds like you'll have more, but how much more?

Also, to justify a $2500 walk-in, I'd want to be brewing more gallons at a time.

Good luck and happy brewing.

Good points. But is does sound like for the OP money is no object.

For the OP though, keep in mind... there is a 100 gallon per person per year and 200 gallon household annual limit on homebrewing. Doesn't matter who drinks it.

 

[John Beere]

Although my "brewery" is quickly changing, take a look at the threads in my signature.. I have a 10 gallon system and two upright freezers with a dedicated fermenter in each. I also had a walk-in cooler that was destroyed in a recent flood, but am in the process of building another..